In theory, the crowd gathered outside of café/climbing establishment 7 Bays Bouldering for OBEY Convention's outdoor brunch shows should have been feeling a bit of a chill during Century Egg's set. What began as a bright, sunny afternoon was quickly clouding over and getting rather brisk, but it was hard to feel the slightest bit cold during the warm, bright and deliriously infectious performance from Halifax's self-described "multi-race rainbow band."
The quartet — with Shane Keyu Song on vocals, Robert Drisdelle on guitar, Nick Dourado on bass and Tri Le on drums — fuses Asian pop with North American indie rock. The band's songs (four of which make up its first EP, Mountain God, released last month) are full of melodic surprises and loaded with hooks. Drisdelle's chords, in particular, stay just one step removed from what you'd expect, like on the build to the chorus in standout track "Since I Caught You."
Song's vocals would have been a highlight even if they weren't a welcome break from OBEY's instrumental-heavy lineup: performing in both Mandarin and English, her tone is equal parts sweet and powerful. When a malfunctioning bass amp knocked Dourado out of commission while a replacement was located, Song and Drisdelle performed the largely acoustic "One Thousand Words, Ten Thousand Phrases" to a quietly enraptured crowd.
Later, when Le's kick drum pedal busted, a fellow musician had another ready to go, and Le barely missed a beat. When a band is as fun as Century Egg, everyone is willing to do their part to help out.
The quartet — with Shane Keyu Song on vocals, Robert Drisdelle on guitar, Nick Dourado on bass and Tri Le on drums — fuses Asian pop with North American indie rock. The band's songs (four of which make up its first EP, Mountain God, released last month) are full of melodic surprises and loaded with hooks. Drisdelle's chords, in particular, stay just one step removed from what you'd expect, like on the build to the chorus in standout track "Since I Caught You."
Song's vocals would have been a highlight even if they weren't a welcome break from OBEY's instrumental-heavy lineup: performing in both Mandarin and English, her tone is equal parts sweet and powerful. When a malfunctioning bass amp knocked Dourado out of commission while a replacement was located, Song and Drisdelle performed the largely acoustic "One Thousand Words, Ten Thousand Phrases" to a quietly enraptured crowd.
Later, when Le's kick drum pedal busted, a fellow musician had another ready to go, and Le barely missed a beat. When a band is as fun as Century Egg, everyone is willing to do their part to help out.
